A reminder, Wax Chaotic is currently running a fundraiser for our 2014 tour. Several of our rewards involve studio recordings of new songs, and as this is the studio that will be producing those recordings, I thought I would share the lyrics for those new songs.

“In Another Castle” and “Bridge” are currently available for your listening pleasure on YouTube, and the lyrics were posted with their videos. So here are the lyrics for “Coat of Scars”.

Coat of Scars
Lyrics and music by Katt McConnell

I have scars.
They’re pictures only I can see
Drawn in fine lines like the roots of a tree,
They braid with the timeline ‘til they
Look like me
I can never,
Don’t know if I want to be
Free
From my scars.

There’s a mass of tangled lines…
If you squint, you’ll see traces of
Careworn and loveable faces—
Look harder and you’ll see the signs
Of the architects behind my façade.
They take and they scheme,
They think this is chess, and I, the pawn,
Without realizing I’ve begun to move on—
Freedom is my greatest dream.
And they are the stuff of which nightmares are made.

I have scars.
They’re pictures only I can see
Drawn in fine lines like the roots of a tree,
They braid with the timeline ‘til they
Look like me
I can never,
Don’t know if I want to be
Free
From my scars.

Some scars hide under the skin…
We all know from school
Our fellows can be so cruel,
And some games we never can win
When those in charge set us up to fail.
These scars fade more each day,
But still, they contribute to who I am.
I still can’t quite understand
Why we treat each other that way,
And why kindness does not prevail.

I have scars.
They’re pictures only I can see
Drawn in fine lines like the roots of a tree,
They braid with the timeline ‘til they
Look like me
I can never,
Don’t know if I want to be
Free
From my scars.

I’ve drawn many lines of my own…
I ignore intuition
And forego all inhibition—
My mistakes cut me right to the bone,
And all too often haunt me at night.
Regret is a dangerous game.
Sometimes it’s hard not to dwell;
Obsessing only creates a living hell.
I’m drawn like a moth to a flame—
I try to release instead and take flight.

I have scars.
They’re pictures only I can see
Drawn in fine lines like the roots of a tree,
They braid with the timeline ‘til they
Look like me
I can never,
Don’t know if I want to be
Free
From my scars.

Now see the other side of the coin:
When the storm has been weathered,
Our strength and our mettle are tempered,
And we can much better enjoin
Our fears to lose their control.
This is how we learn,
Through failure and pain we can grow,
To rise high, we must start off low—
And reborn from that in which we burn,
We find ourselves a little closer to whole.

I have scars.
They’re pictures only I can see
Drawn in fine lines like the roots of a tree,
They braid with the timeline ‘til they
Look like me
I can never,
Don’t know if I want to be
Free
From my scars.

I know they won’t likely erase,
That they’re part of my very being.
But I temper them by seeing
Where their root lines have left a trace.
The lines are all here,
Scattered and clear,
Upon my

Coat of scars.
They’re pictures only I can see
Drawn in fine lines like the roots of a tree,
They braided with the timeline ‘til they
Looked like me
I can never,
Don’t know if I want to be
Free
From my scars.

This song is ultimately bound for inclusion on “[untitled]“. It is perhaps one of the most personal things I have ever written. It is also an attempt for me to examine some negative aspects in my life while at the same time acknowledging that, while negative, they are completely necessary. I would not be the person I am today without having been all those people before, and having gone through all the things I’ve been through. And overall, I’m usually pretty happy with the person I am right now. There are two sides to every coin. This is my effort to express appreciation for the darker side.

This song is available on a Wax Chaotic branded thumb drive starting at the “Over the Border” package, along with four other studio recordings of unreleased songs.